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Zunino begins Triple-A rehab assignment

Zunino begins Triple-A rehab assignment

7/22/13: Mike Zunino leads off the bottom of the fifth with a solo home run over the wall in left field to put the Mariners in front, 2-1

By Jacob Thorpe
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MLB.com |

SEATTLE -- On Tuesday night, catcher Mike Zunino played in his first game since breaking the hamate bone in his left hand while swinging a bat June 25.

Zunino was second in the lineup for Triple-A Tacoma in the first game of his rehab assignment, going 1-for-2 with a triple, a walk and two runs scored. Mariners manager Eric Wedge said that if all goes well, the No. 2 pick in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft could be back in the Majors next week.

"He'll catch about five innings today, [be the designated hitter] tomorrow, and then we'll go from there," Wedge said Tuesday. "Keep building him up so he'll be down there for the rest of this week, and we'll see where we're at."

Prior to the injury, Zunino impressed coaches and teammates with his abilities behind the plate and in the batter's box. In the five games leading up to the injury, Zunino was hitting .333 with a home run and five walks."

Jacob Thorpe is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.